Senate Study Bill 3067 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SINCLAIR) A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including eligibility for grants 1 under the teach Iowa scholar program, licenses issued by the 2 board of educational examiners, and the use of revenues from 3 the district management levy, and including applicability 4 provisions. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 5492XC (3) 89 jda/jh

S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 261.110, subsection 3, Code 2022, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . d. The total value of grants awarded under 3 this section each year to applicants who are preparing to teach 4 in a school district shall be as follows: 5 (1) Fifty percent shall be awarded to applicants preparing 6 to teach in a school district with less than or equal to 7 one thousand students. However, if the amount requested by 8 applicants pursuant to subparagraph (2) is less than the amount 9 reserved for applicants under subparagraph (2), the commission 10 may award the difference to applicants under this subparagraph. 11 (2) Fifty percent shall be awarded to applicants preparing 12 to teach in a school district with greater than one thousand 13 students. However, if the amount requested by applicants 14 pursuant to subparagraph (1) is less than the amount reserved 15 for applicants under subparagraph (1), the commission may award 16 the difference to applicants under this subparagraph. 17 Sec. 2. Section 272.2, subsection 1, Code 2022, is amended 18 by adding the following new paragraph: 19 NEW PARAGRAPH . d. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection 20 establishing criteria for applicants for licenses who have 21 completed a teacher preparation program outside of the state 22 and who are applying for the applicant’s first Iowa teaching 23 license shall not require the applicant to be an Iowa resident 24 if the applicant provides the board with a copy of an offer of 25 employment as a teacher from a school located in this state. 26 Sec. 3. Section 272.2, subsection 13, Code 2022, is amended 27 to read as follows: 28 13. Adopt rules to provide for nontraditional preparation 29 options for licensing persons who hold a bachelor’s degree from 30 an accredited college or university, who do not meet other 31 requirements for licensure. The rules shall, at a minimum, 32 require the board to do all of the following: 33 a. Issue a teacher intern license for instruction in grades 34 six through twelve to a qualified applicant while the applicant 35 -1- LSB 5492XC (3) 89 jda/jh 1/ 6

S.F. _____ concurrently completes the additional educational requirements 1 provided in paragraph “b” . A qualified applicant must meet all 2 of the following requirements: 3 (1) The applicant must have graduated from an accredited 4 college or university with a cumulative grade point average 5 of two and three quarters on a four-point scale, or its 6 equivalent, as determined by the accredited college or 7 university. 8 (2) The applicant must have at least three years of post- 9 baccalaureate work experience. 10 (3) The applicant must submit with the application a copy of 11 an offer of employment from a school. 12 b. Require an applicant who has been granted a teacher 13 intern license pursuant to paragraph “a” to meet all of the 14 following requirements prior to applying for an initial 15 teaching license: 16 (1) The licensee must work under the supervision of a 17 teacher coach or a mentor assigned by the school district or 18 accredited nonpublic school. 19 (2) The licensee must complete at least fifteen additional 20 hours of in-person coursework, including pedagogy training. 21 c. Allow a licensee who has completed the requirements 22 provided in paragraph “b” to apply for an initial teaching 23 license if the school that employed the licensee under 24 paragraph “b” recommends that the licensee be allowed to apply 25 for an initial teaching license. 26 Sec. 4. Section 272.2, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 27 following new subsection: 28 NEW SUBSECTION . 27. Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 29 17A that allow an individual seeking a career and technical 30 secondary authorization to apply, and if eligible, be issued 31 the secondary authorization prior to accepting an offer of 32 employment with a school. 33 Sec. 5. Section 279.46, Code 2022, is amended to read as 34 follows: 35 -2- LSB 5492XC (3) 89 jda/jh 2/ 6

S.F. _____ 279.46 Retirement incentives and teacher student loan 1 forgiveness —— tax. 2 1. The board of directors of a school district may adopt 3 a program for payment of a monetary bonus, continuation of 4 health or medical insurance coverage, or other incentives 5 for encouraging its employees to retire before the normal 6 retirement date as defined in chapter 97B . The program is 7 available only to employees who notify the board of directors 8 prior to April 1 of the fiscal year that they intend to retire 9 not later than the start of the next following school calendar. 10 The age at which employees shall be designated eligible for 11 the program shall be at the discretion of the board. An 12 employee retiring under this section may apply for a retirement 13 allowance under chapter 97B or chapter 294 . The board may 14 include in the district management levy an amount to pay the 15 total estimated accumulated cost to the school district of 16 the health or medical insurance coverage, bonus, or other 17 incentives for employees fifty-five years of age or older who 18 retire under this section subsection . 19 2. The board of directors of a school district may adopt 20 a program for student loan repayment to recruit new teachers. 21 The board may include in the district management levy an amount 22 to pay the total estimated accumulated cost to the school 23 district of the student loan repayment program adopted under 24 this subsection. 25 3. The board of directors of a school district shall 26 discuss the adoption of the program for early retirement 27 benefits provided in subsection 1 or the program for student 28 loan repayment provided in subsection 2, as applicable, at 29 a regular or special meeting prior to adopting the program. 30 The board of directors of the school district shall provide 31 sufficient time to receive public comment on the program. The 32 board shall allow each interested member of the public to speak 33 at the meeting regarding the program, but may impose a time 34 limit on the amount of time a member of the public is allowed 35 -3- LSB 5492XC (3) 89 jda/jh 3/ 6

S.F. _____ to speak if the time limit is the same for each speaker and 1 necessary due to the amount of people wishing to speak. The 2 board of directors of a school district shall not adopt the 3 program for early retirement benefits provided in subsection 4 1 concurrently with the program for student loan repayment 5 provided in subsection 2. The board of directors shall not 6 adopt either the program for early retirement benefits provided 7 in subsection 1 or the program for student loan repayment 8 provided in subsection 2 within five years after adopting the 9 other program. 10 Sec. 6. Section 298.4, subsection 1, paragraph e, Code 2022, 11 is amended to read as follows: 12 e. To pay the cost of early retirement benefits to employees 13 under section 279.46 , subsection 1, or student loan repayment 14 under section 279.46, subsection 2. A board of directors of a 15 school district shall not expend the district management levy 16 on the costs of both programs in the same fiscal year . 17 Sec. 7. APPLICABILITY. The following applies to grants 18 awarded by the college student aid commission on or after July 19 1, 2022, to initial applicants under the teach Iowa scholar 20 program established pursuant to section 261.110: 21 The section of this Act amending section 261.110. 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 This bill relates to education, including eligibility for 26 grants under the teach Iowa scholar program, licenses issued 27 by the board of educational examiners, and the use of revenues 28 from the district management levy. 29 The teach Iowa scholar program, administered by the 30 college student aid commission, provides grants to certain 31 high-caliber, full-time teachers in Iowa in amounts not 32 to exceed $4,000 annually or $20,000 over five years. The 33 bill provides that the total value of grants awarded under 34 the program to applicants who are preparing to teach in a 35 -4- LSB 5492XC (3) 89 jda/jh 4/ 6

S.F. _____ school district shall be equally divided between applicants 1 preparing to teach in a school district with less than or 2 equal to 1,000 students and applicants preparing to teach in 3 a school district with greater than 1,000 students. The bill 4 authorizes the commission to award different amounts to each 5 group of applicants if the amount requested by applicants of 6 either group is less than the amount reserved for that group. 7 The bill establishes that this provision applies to grants 8 awarded by the commission on or after July 1, 2022, to initial 9 applicants under the program. 10 Current law authorizes the board of educational examiners 11 (BOEE) to issue a regional exchange teaching license to an 12 applicant who has completed a teacher preparation program 13 outside of the state and who is applying for the applicant’s 14 first Iowa teaching license if, among other requirements, the 15 applicant is a resident of the state. The bill removes the 16 requirement that such an applicant be a resident of this state 17 if the applicant provides the BOEE with a copy of an offer of 18 employment as a teacher from a school located in this state. 19 Current law requires the BOEE to adopt rules to provide 20 for nontraditional preparation options for licensing persons 21 who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college 22 or university and who do not meet other requirements for 23 licensure. The bill provides that the rules shall require 24 the BOEE to issue a teacher intern license to a qualified 25 applicant. The bill specifies the requirements that a 26 qualified applicant must meet. The bill also provides that 27 the rules shall require an applicant who has been granted a 28 teacher intern license to meet certain specified requirements 29 prior to applying for an initial teaching license. The bill 30 requires the BOEE to allow an applicant who has completed those 31 requirements to apply for an initial teaching license if the 32 school that employed the licensee recommends that the licensee 33 be allowed to apply for an initial teaching license. 34 The bill requires the BOEE to adopt rules that allow 35 -5- LSB 5492XC (3) 89 jda/jh 5/ 6

S.F. _____ an individual seeking a career and technical secondary 1 authorization to apply, and if eligible, be issued the 2 secondary authorization prior to accepting an offer of 3 employment with a school. 4 Currently, Code section 279.46 authorizes the board of 5 directors of a school district to adopt a program for early 6 retirement benefits to encourage its employees to retire before 7 the normal retirement date. The bill modifies Code section 8 279.46 to also authorize the board of directors to adopt a 9 program for student loan repayment to recruit new teachers. 10 The bill requires the board of directors to discuss the 11 adoption of the program for early retirement benefits or the 12 program for student loan repayment, as applicable, at a regular 13 or special meeting prior to adopting the program and allow for 14 public comment. The bill prohibits the board of directors from 15 adopting the program for early retirement benefits concurrently 16 with the program for student loan repayment. The bill also 17 prohibits the board of directors from adopting either the 18 program for early retirement benefits or the program for 19 student loan repayment within five years after adopting the 20 other program. 21 The bill authorizes the board of directors to expend the 22 district management levy to pay the costs of either the program 23 for early retirement benefits or the program for student loan 24 repayment. The bill prohibits the board of directors from 25 expending the district management levy on the costs of both 26 programs in the same fiscal year. 27 -6- LSB 5492XC (3) 89 jda/jh 6/ 6